General Information

The conference is held at the University
of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Accommodation is available on
campus as well as at nearby hotels a short walk away. More information is
available on our UOttawa Campus page.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars (CAD, or C$) and may not include
applicable taxes. Federal tax of 5% applies to most goods and services in
Canada, and an additional provincial tax of 8% also applies to most goods
and services in Ontario. Additional taxes may apply in various situations
- no effort is made here to ensure prices do or
do not include tax.

We recommend arriving the day before your first activity and leaving late
on Saturday. Air fares are often cheaper if you arrive on Saturday night
and leave Sunday. We are planning post-confernces events on the day after
the conference.

Please be advised that one of the largest construction projects in
Ottawa's history - the Confederation
Line - is currently underway, and this may affect trains, roads and
walkways in the area, particularly since one entrance to the new tunnel is
located immediately adjacent to UOttawa.

Conference attendees are responsible for booking their own accommodation.
Meals and accommodation are not included in your conference registration
fee.

Getting into Canada

Starting March 15, 2016, visa-exempt foreign nationals who
fly to or transit through Canada will need an Electronic Travel
Authorization (eTA). Exceptions include U.S. citizens and travellers
with a valid visa. Read about the changes and how they may affect you.

At the URL above, you can see if you now need a via (eTA). Please apply
early. It can take some time.

Attendees have reported that having a printed copy of your registration
email helps with getting through Customs.

By Train

VIA Rail interconnects with the AMTRAK's Maple
Leaf train in Toronto (TWO), and the Adirondack
train in Montreal (MTR), both originating from New York Penn Station
(NYP). If arriving from the USA, you'll have to disembark at the end of
the line and transfer to either a VIA train or a bus (coach).

If you're transferring from airplane to train, please ensure you know how
to get from the airport to the train station. VIA maintains a list
of partners that you may find helpful.

By Bus (Coach)

The Ottawa Central
Station is served by Greyhound
from points across Canada and the USA, with Express
service from both Toronto and Montreal. Certain Greyhound routes
will permit you to disembark directly at UOttawa - ask the ticket agent
and the driver if this is possible, as it can save you a 30-minute walk or
a taxi fare.

If you are transferring from one mode of transport (e.g. air) to another
(bus), please ensure you know how to successfully transfer from one to the
other - the respective terminals are often a great distance away from each
other.

If you are flying KLM or Air France (and possibly others), you may be
able to purchase a bus ticket as part of your airfare. If you do this,
please let us know more about how that works!

Typically, a number of private bus or coach operators also provide
service to the Ottawa area at any given time, and there are typically one
or two providing service from Montreal airport. Let
me Google that for you.

Please be aware of major traffic disruptions in Ottawa, particularly the
construction of the Confederation Line, that may affect your route.

Public Transit (Bus)

OCTranspo's combined fleet of
city buses and light rail transit serves the Ottawa area, but the most
useful feature for BSDCan attendees is probably the #97
route that runs from the Airport directly past UOttawa. (The train station is served by #61 and #62 routes, both of which stop at UOttawa.)

As of this writing, regular fare to get from the airport to campus costs
C$3.50 (exact change). The bus stop is just outside the
Arrivals level of the terminal: exit the right-most doors, cross the lanes
of traffic to the first walkway, turn right and walk approximately 15m
(50').

If you're staying on or near campus, get off the #97 bus at the LAURIER
stop (NOTE: the CAMPUS
stop is closed for construction until 2018) - the residence building (90
University Private) is a short walk to the south, and the conference venue
is directly adjacent to the Laurier stop. If you are traveling between
midnight and 4am, you can get off at Cumberland St. instead of LAURIER station.

OCTranspo provides accessible transport, including Para Transpo for
disabled riders; please see the Accessible
Transit page and contact OCTranspo directly for further details.

If you expect to use OCTranspo during your stay in Ottawa, make sure you're paying in the most effective way: How to Pay.

Walking

Presumably you're reading this because you've arrived at either the bus
station or the train station. Consult Google Maps for up-to-date walking
directions from
the bus station (~30min), or the ~45min walk from
the train station.

If you're walking from the train station, note Google suggests walking
down Robinson Avenue, which lacks sidewalks, to get from Hurdman Ave. to
Lees Ave. Taking the walkway at the end of Hurdman Ave. to Lees Ave. is an
alternate route that seems more pedestrian-friendly.

Bicycling

Ottawa is a very bicycle-friendly city, in general, with dedicated bike
paths and bike lanes. There are several bicycle rental shops, including
one near campus (RentABike/Vélocation) if you aren't traveling with your
own bicycle. A quick internet search will turn up quite a lot of
information about biking in and around Ottawa - more than we can
reasonably link to here! Be aware of hazards and detours resulting
from the Confederation Line construction.